NEW YORK, June 6 - Luminex has licensed its LabMap technology to Research & Diagnostics systems, a company that specializes in assays for cytokines and related molecules, Luminex said Wednesday.
Under the agreement, R&D systems will use LabMap to develop and commercialize Fluorokine Map multianalyte profiling kits, assays that simultaneously measure multiple cytokines in a single cell culture sample. R&D has made an up-front payment to Luminex, which will also receive royalties from the kits.
The kits, which R&D systems will design for use with the Luminex 100 analyzer, will be released later this month.
"The addition of R&D Systems gives us 29 strategic partners that we expect to provide products and/or services based on the LabMap technology to a wide range of customers throughout the life science industry," Randy Marfin, Luminex's vice president of business development said in a statement. "The products that R&D Systems plans to market will further expand our presence in the research market serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology and biomedical research organizations."
LabMap uses microspheres, internally color-coded microscopic beats with thousands of attached probe molecules, to perform biological assays. Small lasers, digital processors, and software allow the system to perform up to 100 assays per drop of fluid.
Luminex has said its business strategy is to seek out partnerships with clinical diagnostics companies and other organizations to develop commercial applications for its technology. Some of Luminex's other recent collaborators include DNA testing service Lifecodes, ARUP Laboratories, Dynacare, Biosource, BioRad, Hitachi, and Qiagen.
R&D systems, of Minneapolis, has future plans to expand the Flurokine Map assay and add similar multianalyte kits that measure cytokines in plasma or serum.